I have been fascinated with the man, the myths, the band (80’s) and now the car. Nickola Tesla to me represents the underdog with a vision. Elon Musk has rightfully named his car. I applaud the “stick it to the man” attitude of Tesla Motors. Telling the dealerships where to go. Telling the oil barons where to go. All the while giving us a sexy, powerful vehicle AND putting in charging stations (Tesla owners use them for FREE) enabling us to go where we want. 79 Supercharging stations in America according to their blog. Drive from LA to Chicago and New York for FREE! WOW. The all wheel drive family truckster comes out in 2015. Rumors are that after the Gigafactory is finished they will be able to produce a low-priced car. If that vehicle is under 20k and I don’t have to fuel it – sign me up! Tesla – putting the innovate back into motorvate. Huzzah!

This is my new section of my blog:

Chasing the Rabbithole

One quote in a report I read this morning while chasing this rabbit was through Yahoo written by Rick Newman via The Exchange to me seemed a little bit of a dis. The report was trying to sound in the middle and explaining that the good ole boys way of having dealerships was essential to Tesla becoming a player. This quote “Tesla obviously feels differently, arguing in another blog post (the company’s preferred way of communicating with the press and public)” bugged me. Why? because I could not help but wonder, if Tesla Motors has the mindset of bringing the cars from the manufacturer to the people – it only makes sense that the information they chose to communicate is delivered the same way. Huzzah to Tesla again!

Writers note – Tesla announced its 80th charging station on March 16th, 2014 – just one day after I wrote this article – another Huzzah!

The Mayan calendar ends (disputed) later this week on Friday, December 21, 2012. Regardless of what you believe, I propose that it is an end of the world, as we know it. With the Internet changing what we hear, read and understand about each other, we are living a time where our communication changes daily. New computers, phones, tables, ideas, blogs, texting, videos and so much more, how can one NOT say the world as we know it is over?

I propose for myself to embrace this change and evolve. History teaches us that when something does not evolve, it becomes extinct, like the Dodo bird or Hostess. So, in the spirit of the holidays and the Mayan calendar, I have created this list of things to look forward to, starting December 21. I am not waiting for New Years, it seems to pale this year.

Embrace new ideas
This is simple – listen to what others have to say about something and truly try to see it from THEIR point of view, before you cram your point down their throat

Give a little
Find a charity (organized or not) and help them out. Try something simple like helping a neighbor, volunteer your time at a senior center or give that $10 to that charity you always put off. Remember, your time is actually worth more than $$. Anything or anyone can be a charity, just don’t gloat about it afterwards.

Make a difference to your community, get involved
Quit bitching about politics and go to a couple of town meetings. One cannot complain about something one does nothing about.

Change your story and be positive
We have all lost income, houses, business, loved ones. I am not downplaying any of these, but the key to life is in living now, not in the past. Ask yourself, “is this really how so and so would have wanted me to live?” or “Do I really need to bring my friends and coworkers down with this baggage?” The choice of how we live is within each and every one of us, from the ex-felon and addicts to the straight and narrow who lost it all. It is easier to help someone who is being positive and trying than it is to hear the person who constantly tells you the same ol’ story over and over again.

I know all this may sound trite or obvious, depending on who you are, but I for one am looking forward to new and exciting changes in the world. The changes I am making are mine, not yours. By the same token, the changes you decide are all you, no one else. Change is good and brings out the best in humans. Stagnation – will lead us all to extinction.

And that is why I say: “Its the end of the world as we know it… and I feel fine.”

Cheetos. We have all known them. From the original Crunchy Cheetos (1948), then “Puffs” (1971) and now the most popular version ever, “Flamin’ Red Hot” (1991). More popular than their tame counterparts, the “Flamin’ Red Hot” version has soared in popularity with the children. Fan pages abound on Facebook. Twitter tweets rant about them. Rappers “Delight” in them (old pun, excuse me). One Youtube video rap has 3.5 million views.

And just like all things kids like – schools hate them.

I remember when, in an attempt to skirt the “no gum chewing in class” rule, everyone in the 80′s all of a sudden crazed over sunflower seeds. But, like all good times, someone has to mess things up. The ones that spit their seeds on the classroom floor drew the attention of the janitor, who brought it up to the principal, who addressed the teachers, who wrote the notes to the parents, who talked to the doctors, who confided with the administration that the salt intake was dangerous and therefore could be banned on school grounds due to a health issue. Whew!

Now, it is happening again.

This flavor has been around since 1991, but it has only been the last couple of weeks that it has made major headlines. Several school districts have measures or are seeking measures to ban the spicy cheesy treat from their schools. Reasons cited for banning the food range from nuisance to health hazard. You see, when kids eat them the red cheesy powder leaves marks wherever one might place their hands, if they are not washing.

My first thought was now you can tell who does not wash their hands, so maybe we can teach them how to do that. You know, to keep down the spread of colds and flu. Oh, am I being too sarcastic?

Not that I really care. I went through this personally with the seeds, and also with my kids over … I forget, cause it did not matter.

Enter, the doctors please. Now most doctors will agree that Cheetos (any flavor) are not part of a nutritious diet. I don’t need to be a doctor to know that. Recently, a rise in ER visits with concerned parents over blood in the stool have been attributed to the fiery snack. The doctors have said that dye in certain foods can cause a reddening of the stool. More significantly, a few doctors agree that if the stool is reddened, then it is a sign of overeating in general and the child is just picking one snack. Well, your local school administrator is quick to glam on to a solution so the snack can be banned due to its health hazard. Here we go again, just like the sunflower seeds, the janitor brought it to the principal, who consulted with the doctors, then sent notes home to the parents, who took their kids to the doctor, who advised that foods like that should not be in schools anyway because they may lead to obesity. Duh!

My point is all of this means nothing. People will eat what they want. They will stay healthy or not. The choice is ours. If you choose to stay healthy, then talk to your doctor yourself, don’t just read some silly headline!